OROP suicide: Grewal took Rs 3.5 lakh loan from SBI, did not inform family

New Delhi: The State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Bhiwani from where deceased ex-army man Ram Kishan Grewal drew his One Rank One Pension (OROP) amount has denied that it miscalculated the amount to be paid to him.

The government had claimed on Wednesday that Grewal’s pension had been miscalculated by the bank, and hence he was paid less.

According to a report in the Indian Express, bank officials said that Grewal however had taken a loan of Rs 3.5 lakh against his pension account. This loan was taken in May last year.

The report adds that Grewal had not informed his son or other relatives about the loan.

Before April, when OROP was implemented, Grewal drew a pension of Rs 21,927 and last month drew a pension of Rs 22,608. Grewal’s son Jaswant said his father told him that the pension would have increased to around Rs 30,000 if OROP had been implemented properly by the government.

The issue has assumed political dimensions with Congress and AAP in particular protesting against the Modi government for the death of the ex-serviceman. AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as well as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attended the cremation ceremony of the deceased ex-army man. Earlier, the two had been placed in detention on Wednesday for attempting to visit Grewal’s family members at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi, where his body was kept.